Highly Stylized Chameleon with Sweeping Tail
Dagari, Burkina Faso
Iron
19th century

Chameleons have primeval associations. Many Burkinabé cultures believe them to be the first animals that God put on the earth and, as such, they are closely associated with the notions of time. Many forms of pendants, including chameleons, have been in use for so long that the objects’ intrinsic meanings have been adopted by a broad spectrum of Burkinabé ethnic groups like the Mossi, Nuna, Gurunsi, Gouin, Turka, Tusyan, Syemou, Bwa, and Lobi. The slowness of movement of the chameleon represents the infinite duration of cosmic time, and its continued slowness confirms that chameleons still participate in that primordial temporal state. Above all, they are envoys of God, Wuro, carrying His words and admonitions; hence, chameleons command the attention of diviners to decipher their messages (Roy & Wheelock, Land of the Flying Masks, 2007). 

1.5 x 3.25 in. :: 4 x 8 cm

InventoryID #13-1752

Price on Request